


Saving you, Saving Me

by Shezu



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/M, Injury, Military, Not a sucked-into-my-video-game story I swear, Romance, no seriously, please ignore the melodramatic summary, quantum physics, sick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:30:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7216978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shezu/pseuds/Shezu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The full version of my 'snippets and drabble' Saving Mondatta.<br/>“That was a very brave thing you did.” He says, his voice—though deep—is remarkably soft.<br/>“You reacted quickly, but how?” He questions. “I saw no sniper…”  She frowns deeply and looks away.<br/>Because you're from a video game and I saw the short where she kills you? Not crazy at all.</p><p>When Evelyn receives an unexpected guest, she doesn't realize that his arrival was the first steps towards the proverbial rabbit hole. Just thinking she's happy with her successful but normal life, she doesn't realize the truths she's about to discover, a true future she's about to reveal, nor the people she'll meet in person--people she knows so well. The friendships she'll make and the love she'll find in one other are hard bonds to break, but what if her very presence has begun to warp the future? What happens when she accidentally makes the world a far more dangerous place? How can she fix it? Can she fix it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Author's Note:**

> If you have read my 'Saving Mondatta' snippets and drabbles, this is the real story to go with it. Some of the snippets have been changed but if you read it before, they should be easy to spot (though there's none in this chapter, check chapter 2). I'm leaving my snippets up for those who just want to read the interesting parts. That's why I wrote them in the first place! It's also interesting to compare the two.
> 
> A far warning for this story, it involves Quantum Physics, parallel dimensions, time travel, butterfly effect, yadda yadda. Basically, suspension of disbelieve will be severely suspended. I just didn't want another 'I got sucked into my video game' story without some actually backing to it. I'll do my best to keep the story making sense--though google might be involved for you--but know I am no scientist! I am not certified. I'm just working with what I know to make a somewhat believable story that isn't just 'oh she's in the video game because reasons'. 
> 
> Also! Note for the future, this story will have sexual scenes in it, but they will NOT be posted here. When there is a sexual scene in the story, I will post it as a separate story for you to read and I will post where the smut would have begun in the chapter. Why? A couple reasons. One, I don't want to isolate anyone who only wants fluff or simply doesn't want smut. Two, one shot smuts are awesome and easier to come back to than trying to remember what chapter and what part the story is from. 
> 
> One more thing, if you guys want me to make a reader insert version of this, I'd be more than happy too! Just let me know!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 

   “Evelyn!” A voice echoes through the indoor pool, bouncing off of the bare walls and concrete floors. A couple of those in and around the pool look up at the voice, watching the source approach a life guard before going back to what they were doing. 

   “Hey, Michelle. What’s up?” The brunette life guard, Evelyn, asks as she glances at the blonde now standing beside her. Her brown eyes do not linger on the woman long before returning back to scanning the water vigilantly. 

   “I thought you had today off.” The blonde says teasingly. This was clearly not an uncommon occurrence for the brunette; who shrugs off the blonde’s teasing easily. 

   “Ms. Montgomery asked me in for the party. Rebecca’s ill again.” The blonde sighs as she plops onto the ground beside the life guard’s feet, pulling off her sandals and dipping her toes into the cool water. Submerging her legs up to her calves, she lets out a heavy, happy, sigh and leans back on her hands. 

   “You should have just ignored her.” Michelle flinches as the brunette tweets her whistle once and yells to a couple of little boys across the pool that thought they were slick running behind the life guard stationed on their side of the pool. 

   “Walk!” The boys look guilty and pout a little as they slow to a quick walk, nudging each other as they head for the water slide. Glancing back down at the blonde, she raises an eyebrow at her comment before she yelled. 

   “You’re my boss. You really shouldn’t be saying things like that.” She says sternly, before looking out at the water again and muttering; “Again.” 

   Michelle laughs as she hears the added comment, kicking her feet back and forth in the water. 

   “You take this too serious.” She purrs teasingly. “So what if you ignore Ms. Montgomery just once? What’s the worst that could happen?” Eve’s lips work in a slight smirk. 

   “You mean, besides her killing me?” Her tone is teasing but based on the shiver they share, it wasn’t exactly untrue. Michelle splashes the life guard’s exposed calves, which were well-toned from all of her swimming and hard work. 

   “Yes, besides that.” She says with a laugh and an eye roll. Evelyn looks a little more serious at that, staring at the children in the pool. 

   “Someone could get hurt.” She points out. The blonde just heaves a heavy sigh and flops back on the concrete, arms behind her head. 

   “She’d get another life guard, Eve. You’re just her first pick because you can’t say no.” The brunette sticks out her lower lip a little at that and frowns. 

   “I like to think I’m just reliable.” She huffs, though a small smile tugs at her lips at the banter.

   “Tomato, Tomahto.” The woman mutters before poking the life guard in the calf. “You need to loosen up.” The brunette just chuckles, having heard this often from many different people and glances down at the woman who suddenly sits up straight. 

   “Oh yeah! You have a visitor!” She chirps, standing. Evelyn frowns and tilts her head. 

   “Who?” She asks, confused. She doesn’t know anyone who would bother her at work. Michelle was one of the few who she would consider a friend. The blonde shrugs as she takes the buoy from the brunette. 

   “Dunno. But he’s cute. Go find out. He’s out back.” She winks and grins at the girl. Eve hands her whistle to her boss before heading to the employee lounge. Grabbing a simple jacket, she pulls it on and slips on a pair of flip flops. It had been getting cool at night lately as the autumn began to grow closer. 

   The employee lounge had its own exit that led to the employee parking lot. The door was heavy and swung open slowly. Dark already, the woman’s eyes had to adjust to the dim yellow light of the street lamp before she could stick her head out and look around. Spotting a lone figure leaning against the building under the light, she squints to see him better, before letting out a sharp gasp. 

   Shoving the door open wide, she rushes to the man and nearly tackles him with a hug. 

   “Adam!!” The brunette squeals happily, hugging the man tightly. The tall, chestnut, haired man grins and hugs the woman back, staring down at her with calm green eyes. Evelyn tries her best not to cry as she pulls back, staring up at the man in fatigues. 

   “You weren’t supposed to be home for another month!” She exclaims through her tears, to which he just chuckles and ruffles her hair. 

   “We finished out testing early.” He explains with a shrug, still grinning. She laughs as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves. 

   “Have you seen mom and dad yet?” He shakes his head, his arm going around her shoulder and pulling her into a head lock, ruffling her hair. 

   “I had to come see my baby sister first!” He teases as she wraps her arms around his middle and lifts him off his feet. The action gets him to stop ruffling her hair and release her with a laugh. Setting him down, she grins up at him. "I heard you got into the college you wanted!"

   “I did! It’s fantastic! I’m in the MBA program too!” She chirps. 

   “Tell me about it.” He says with a genuine smile, leaning against the wall and folding his large arms over his broad chest. There’s a lot of excitement and energetic arm flailing as she explains about her straight A’s in college, her new job, and the small home she’d gotten while he was gone. While he’s more than willing to comment about her life, they both knew not to talk about his job. Classified above top secret, his work in military grade tech was something she respected enough not to ask about. 

  “Oh! Right! Speaking of houses, I wanted to ask if I could stay over. I’m working a joint operation with two based and your college is a good middle ground. I assume you moved because you’re closer to that?” When she nods, he continues. “Mind if I stay with you while I’m here?” She laughs. 

   “Mooching off of me?” She asks teasingly.

   “Yup!” He smirks without missing a beat. 

   “Alright, I have a spare bedroom. It’s my office but it has a day bed in it.” He nods as he stands straight. 

   “Works for me.” He grins at her. “I’m tired of base food anyway.” She puts a hand on her hip and lets out an indignant huff, though her smile doesn’t fade. 

   “You want me to cook for you too? Sheesh.” She giggles and lowers her hand from her hip. “But yeah, that’s no problem. Need the address?” 

   “Got to head to mom and dad’s first. Text it to me when you get off of work.” He pulls her into a tight hug before letting her go. 

   “I’ll let you get back to work. Don’t forget to text me.” He says with a grin, ruffling her hair again before they part ways. 

  Evelyn was bouncing on her toes the rest of the party, eagerly cleaning up and closing up when she’s done. She bids Michelle goodbye before texting her brother her address and driving back to her small single story home.

 

* * *

 

   The brunette spots a new black pick up in her driveway, one she can only assume is her brother’s, as she parks. Grabbing her gym bag, walks up to the door to find it unlocked. No surprise, considering she’d told her brother where her spare key was. Slipping inside, she sees several of her lights on and hears clattering from the kitchen. Setting her bag next to the door, she calls to her brother as she kicks off her flip flops.

   “Adam?” She’s certain it’s him but his call back is reassuring.

   “In the kitchen!” Smirking as she makes her way down her hallway and into the kitchen, she watches as her brother helps himself to her food.

   “Moocher.” She says teasingly, but he just laughs and straightens, still holding the door to the fridge open.

   “Not much to mooch.” He points out, to which she huffs, leaning against the open arch way to her kitchen and folding her arms over her chest.

   “I was going to go grocery shopping tomorrow after Aikido. Wasn’t expecting company.” Though her tone is scolding, there’s a smirk on her face. He shuts the fridge and b-lines for the pantry to keep searching for food; an action that makes Eve roll her eyes.

   “I’d heard you’d taken that up again. How is it? Is your sensei good?” He asks, referring to her comment on Aikido. Moving to the small, light colored, island in the middle of the room, she hops onto the sturdy counter tops, kicking her feet back and forth.  
  
   “He’s pretty good. Not the best, but a good sensei. Much better than Taekwondo.” She says, watching her brother search around in her pantry, half obscured by the door. He hums at her statement.

   “How about the range? You been going often?” He asks and she grins.

   “Yep! Bet I’m a better shot than you~” She chirps, earning her an unimpressed stare from around the door.

   “I’m a tech. In the Navy. They don’t train me to shoot.” He says, deadpan, though there’s a slight sparkle in his eyes she can easily pick up on. She laughs loudly and grins.

   “You’re just lazy!” She purrs in a sing-song voice. A snort is the only response she gets as her brother finally grabs a jar of peanut butter and some sandwich bread. Turning off the light and kicking the door closed, he walks over to the island she’s sitting on and places both beside her.

   “You know, just because not everyone’s a stubborn work-a-holic with no friends like you, doesn’t mean they’re lazy.” He points out cheekily, to which she blushes and puffs out her cheeks.

   “I have friends!” She defends, though that is all she defends as she points to one of the cabinets for the plate he had been searching for.

   “And what about a boyfriend?” He points out, making her flinch. She should have known that he’d bring that up. She wasn’t really sensitive on the matter itself, just figured herself undesirable and average; no matter what other’s continued to say. They were just being nice. She points to a drawer as he starts to look around again after grabbing his plate; leading him to the silverware.

   “I haven’t found anyone yet.” She tries to defend but her brother shoots it down with a snort and a single comment.

   “You haven’t been looking.” He points out, finally able to make his sandwich, putting an abundance of peanut butter on the bread. She can’t argue his point, though she can roll her eyes as he stuffs his face. It doesn’t take him more than a minute to finish the sandwich.

   “Hungry?” She asks, raising an eyebrow as he starts to make another sandwich.

   “Nope.” He quips back; mouth full of peanut butter. Second sandwich already made, he’s unable to take a bite before it’s snatched from his hands.

   “Hey!” He exclaims with a laugh as she takes a large bite.

   “’Ey wha’? Ish my ‘ood.” She says through a mouth full of sticky peanut butter. He just huffs dramatically and makes another sandwich. Hopping off of the counter—pilfered sandwich still in hand—she heads out of the room.

   “I’m taking a shower. Your room’s all the way down the hall.” She tells him over her shoulder as she makes her way to her room, sandwich in her mouth, stripping off her jacket already as she goes.

 

* * *

 

   Comfy in a tank top, plain hoodie, and pair of men’s super-hero sweat pants a size too big for her, she makes her way to the living room that connected to her kitchen, ringing out her wet hair as she goes. Spotting her brother sitting on her couch, already in nightwear—also a pair of sweats and a tank—she makes her way over to him and plops down beside him.

   “Wha’chu doin’?” She asks with a smirk. He glances over at her before showing his phone to her, a puzzle game paused on his screen. She raises an eyebrow.

   “You do know I have real games, right?” She purrs teasingly. Both of them were gamers; though Evie was a more avid than her older brother. He chuckles as he goes back to the game on his phone.

   “What’d you have in mind?” He asks and her eyes light up. A grin spreads across her face from ear to ear and she bounces in her seat.

   “How about Overwatch?!” She asks happily. His reaction gives her pause and her smile falls instantly. Instead of being eager or teasing, his hand hovers over the screen of his phone—which leads to a game over—and his eyes go unfocused. An expression she’d never seen before crosses his face as it goes a little pale and Evie’s suddenly very worried.

   “A…Adam…?” She asks quietly, drawing him from his zoned state. Turning off his phone, he refuses to look at her as he stands.

   “Actually, I think I’m going to head to bed.” He mutters his half-assed excuse before walking out of the room. The brunette can do little but stare at her brother’s retreating back in shock. She has no idea what just happened but it sits on her mind and continues to plague her even as she stands as well, locking up and heading to bed herself; worried.

 

* * *

 

   Several days pass without even a hint of what she saw from him that night. Too worried she’ll see that expression again if she brings up the game, she avoids talking about it. Despite this, there’s a part of her that continues to fret over his reaction. It’s Thursday—almost a week since he’d come up—and the thoughts have been plaguing her worse today. He used to love playing Overwatch with her before he was deployed. What could have happened to sour that…? Deciding that the thoughts sitting on her mind are far from healthy, she makes up her mind to talk to him about it when she sees him again.

   Her schedule is booked for that day; work, school, martial arts and her weekly drills at the range taking up most of her day. It isn’t till around nine o’clock at night that she finally returns home. She sees her brother’s truck in the driveway so she knows he’s home.

  Grabbing the lanyard with her keys off of her bag, she unlocks her front door. The action is such a habit; it takes her a moment to remember that her brother usually keeps it unlocked for her. Frowning deeply, she sets her bag beside the door gently.

   The first thing she notices as she steps inside is the fact that it’s dark. There doesn’t seem to be any lights on in the house and, since her office is at the back of the hallways and she can see inside the room, she knows her brother’s not there. Remaining quiet, she shuts her door behind her and toes off her shoes. Her heart’s pounding in her chest as she moves close to the wall, her back to the beige plaster as she scans the hallway, her bare feet silent on the tile.

_Kitchen's to the left. I can use the knives._ She thinks but shakes her head. _No. Walther's under the bed. Less noise and carpet._ She eyes the door further from the kitchen and to the right; her bedroom. Deciding it's the better option, she heads towards the door. Pausing at the open arch to the kitchen, she peaks inside and looks around. 

   She almost gasps as she sees several men standing in her kitchen, an open pelican case lying on the island counter between them. Her eyes grow wide at the sight of a complicated looking device that glows a soft blue in the dim light of the single light she always keeps on in her kitchen above the sink.

   “This is it?” One of the men asks, looking it over. The man is wearing a suit and is rather large, but from her distance and the dim light, she can tell little else about the man. The other men seem to be in tactical gear and equipped with weapons.

   “Yes sir.” One of the others acknowledges. The man in the suit, clearly the boss, looks to his right before walking around the counter. 

   “How does it work?” He asks a person out of her sight. Peaking around the corner to see who he’s talking to, Eve can’t help her shout.

   “Adam!” She shrieks, seeing her brother tied to a chair with a gun to his head. He looks like he was hit by a truck and his eyes grow wide at the sight of his sister standing in the doorway.

   “Evie! Run!” He yells as the men in tactical gear point their weapons at her. Darting down the hallway before they can fire, she runs straight for her room. 

   “Go get her! I need her alive!” She hears the suit shout as she ducks into her room and jumps onto her bed, rolling over it and landing on the other side. Dropping to her stomach, she reaches under her bed and grabs her fully loaded Walther. In one swift movement, she cocks the weapon, flicks the safety off, and sits up just enough to aim over the edge of her mattress. She’s barely pointed her weapon at the open doorway when one of the men runs into her room. He doesn’t have time to even draw his weapon before she’s gotten off three shots; two in the chest and one in the head. The first two hit body armor but the third goes through his face and he drops just as the second man clears the doorframe. Eve only gets off two shots by the time he manages to dive back around the wall for cover. She keeps a steady aim on the door as she hears chatter and shouting in a different language she thinks is German or Russian. It calms down for a moment before a voice calls to her in English. 

   “Drop your weapon and get out here, Evelyn.” A terrifyingly calm voice calls. The brunette doesn’t move. She jumps as she hears a shot go off followed by the sound of her brother screaming in pain.

   “ADAM!” She shouts, standing abruptly.

   “Drop your weapon!” The leader snarls, a little angrier this time.

   “No! Evie don’t-AH!” Her brother screams again and the woman, tears streaming down her cheeks, drops the magazine of her gun, unloads the weapon, and throws it out of the room. She sees a hand dart out from around the door frame, snatching the hand gun off of the ground. After only a moment of silence, one of the other men speaks up in his language. 

    “Very good, Evelyn. One of my men is coming in. I suggest you behave.” The man calls before the injured man walks in, gun pointed at her. The brunette slowly raises her hands above her head, narrow eyes watching him even as tears continue to run down her face. Cautious as he walks up to her, he uses one hand to pat her down as he keeps his other tight around his weapon. Feeling no other weapons, he moves behind her and jabs her in the back.

   “Walk.” He orders in heavily accented English. She walks forward, hands still raised, and lets him lead her back into the kitchen. The man in the suit—a grizzled older looking man with black hair she can see now—watches her with sharp ice blue eyes, his weapon hovering over the fresh bullet wound in her brother’s thigh. Adam is slumped over in his chair, sweating from the pain, and staring guiltily up at his sister. The suit walks away from the soldier and approaches the young woman, the barrel of his gun going under her chin and forcing her head to tilt up. Her brother’s struggles are quickly silenced by a press of a gun against his head as Eve is forced to stare into the cold eyes of this dangerous stranger.

   “Now, Evelyn, I don’t really appreciate your little stunt back there.” Her eyes narrow and she lets out a growl before a firm press of his weapon against the soft flesh of her throat silences her. “I take it stubbornness runs in the family; two little spitfires.” His voice is calm and collected as he speaks but there’s a dangerous edge to it.

   “Unfortunately for the two of you, your brother has something I want and he’s being particularly stingy with it.” He sighs, as if he was talking to a coworker around the water cooler. “But that’s where you come in, darling. We can’t have him destroying his work nor dying with all of this information in his head, can we? We need…” He leans down, his breath tickling her ear. “Leverage.” Her eyes widen and she starts to move, but the older man is surprisingly quick for his age and grabs her by the hair, the barrel of his gun pressing hard into her cheek.

   “No need to run off in such a hurry. We’re just getting started.” He throws her to one of the bigger men still standing beside the island. “Strap her down.” He growls. The man holding her hauls her onto the island. Struggling, she finds another pair of strong hand pinning her legs down, her knees bend over the edge of the marble top. The men have clearly done this before as, despite her continued struggles, she soon finds herself unable to move even as the two step back.

   Lying with her back pressed against the cold marble, her arms are pulled high over her head, one set of zip ties locked around her wrists, holding them together and cutting off a lot of circulation to her fingers. Another zip tie is looped around the first and locked around the podium that holds the half of the island’s counter top she’s strapped to. Her legs are in a similar situation, her calves pressed against the other podium, stuck there thanks to the zip ties digging into her ankles. Though her muscles flex with her continued struggles, and her hips wiggle, she finds she can’t really move. Looking over at her brother, terrified, she watches him struggle against his bonds. The suit blocks her view of her brother as he steps between them, looking down at her. He smirks as he checks the bonds himself then turns to face her brother.

   “Let her go! She has nothing to do with this! She doesn’t know anything about this!” He shouts, fighting his bonds. The man just ‘tsks’ at him and shakes his head.

   “Adam, Adam, Adam.” He admonishes, clicking his tongue again. “Do you really think we don’t know about your fail safes?” The soldier stills and pales as he stares in horror at the man; who smirks, knowing he’s won. “Put the device on the girl.”

   “No! No! It’s still experimental! We don’t know what it’ll do on a human!” He shouts, trying to stand, but his bonds hold him tight. Still smirking, the suit turns back to the girl and watches with a sadistic smirk as one of the men grabs the glowing metal contraption from the pelican case beside her. Her brother’s panic frightens her and she struggles harder.

  “Don’t touch me!” She snarls, struggling so hard that the zip ties are starting to bite into her flesh, drawing small beads of blood. Her struggling does little to stop the man from placing the heavy metal contraption on her. There’s a couple of straps like those on a backpack—which is what this seems designed for but they don’t have access to her back the way she’s tied down. Working them around her trapped shoulders and locking the buckles into place, he tightens the straps before stepping back. The suit ignores Adam’s screaming and shouting as he moves to the woman’s side and leans down close.

   “Do you know what this is…?” He asks, pupils blown wide in a sick pleasure.

   _This guy needs to be committed._ She thinks bitterly, her eyes narrowing furiously at the man, who just chuckles. He leans down further to whisper in her ear.

   “Have you ever heard of the…Philadelphia Experiment?” Her eyes go wide with understanding and she pales. She’d heard about the experiment a couple of times in her life and her mind conjures pictures of men fused into the metal hull of the ship.

   “Tha-That’s a hoax! They wouldn’t let something like that slip into the public!” She shouts as the man pulls back, smirking and staring down at her. She shivers at the look in his eyes.

   “Best place to hide something is in plain sight.” He purrs and her eyes grow all the wider before darting over to her brother.  
  
   _No! No no no! He can’t be telling the truth! Nothing good came from that experiment!_ Her eyes snap to the machine on her chest as her panicked heart pounds beneath it. The man places the barrel of his gun under the woman’s chin again and makes her look at him again.

   “Naughty things, playing with things you don’t understand. Tried to make an invisibility field; discovered time travel instead. Your second try; I wonder if you managed to actually make your invisibility cloak this time.” He seems more like he’s talking to Adam, but he’s enjoying the pale, panicked, look on Evie’s face as she stares up at him in horror.

   “Bring him here.” He orders as he continues to drink in the woman’s fear, his ice blue eyes seeming to glow with the light of the machine sitting heavily on her chest. She tries to look around the suit when Adam snarls in pain as he’s forced to walk on his injured leg, dragged at gun point to Evie’s side. The suit walks to the top of the counter where the brunette’s arms are tied as her brother is forced into the counter at her side. Leaning on the counter, freed arms on either side of his torso, he looks down at her with a pale, guilty, terrified expression.

   “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved.” He whispers urgently as she tears up and shakes her head. She isn’t able to speak before the barrel of the suit’s gun is pressed to her brother’s forehead. 

   “Turn it on.” He growls. Adam straightens and looks at the suit with pleading eyes. 

   “Please. Take it off of her. It’s unstable!” He tries to reason but the man just cocks the hammer back. Evie’s eyes grow wide and she struggles.

   “No! Don’t hurt him! Just do it, Adam! Please!” She begs, knowing this is the only option that could possibly get them both out of this alive. His conflicted eyes fall on her tearstained face but he knows this is the best chance he has of saving his sister. Wiping a tear from her cheek with one hand, his other moves to the machine and starts keying in a complex series of buttons. Neither of them looks away from the other as the machine starts to hum. It’s only when her brother is shoved away from her and onto the ground—where he’s pinned by a heavy boot—that she looks up in terror at the suit as his hand hovers over the machine resting on her chest. The room is illuminated in a light blue glow as the lights start to grow brighter; the light dancing in the man’s eyes making him look all the more crazed. Suddenly, the light starts to sputter and flicker strangely, making all sorts of strange noises. The suit’s crazed eyes narrow.

   “What the hell is going on?!” He shouts as Adam starts to struggle on the ground in pure panic.

   “Get it off of her! NOW!” He shouts and the suit turns back to him, infuriated, and points his gun at the soldier.

**BANG!**

   All of the men present are blown back as a sharp wave of energy sends them and pieces of marble, flying. Adam is the first to react as he scrambles to his feet and stares in horror at the destroyed counter before him. There aren’t even pieces of his sister left. Dropping to his knees, he stares in shock for a moment before his brain seems to process what just happened. His scream is guttural and raw, coming from deep within the pit of his soul; a heartbreaking sound. The other men scramble to their feet and stare in shock and horror, looking around for the suit that had disappeared. Or perhaps disintegrated was a better word. The soldier continues to scream, gripping his chest as tears stream down his cheeks. The sound of sirens in the background snaps the other men to attention and they look at each other. Deciding there’s nothing left for them here, they turn and rush out of the room, leaving the soldier to kneel before the destroyed counter top that reflected his shattered soul.

   What none of the men present realized is that the reason there was no pieces of the young woman or the man in the suit left, is because they were still whole. The machine had not worked as intended, but it had worked. The two were barely conscious as she’s sent hurdling through the time stream, sent into a parallel dimension few knew had already been tapped into, the man pulled from the source of their travel and the woman before they machine finally stops.

   The contraption disintegrates into small pieces and falls to the unconscious woman’s chest as she’s set down on a cobble stone street, leaving her to her fate; it’s job done.


	2. First Steps in Overland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short term memory loss plagues Evelyn as she now finds herself in a strange but familiar place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read my 'Saving Mondatta' snippets and drabble, you should recognize parts of this story!

   A soft moan escapes pink lips, a shiver running down the lying woman’s spine as a cool breeze wicks the warmth from her body. Semi-conscious, eyes still closed, the brunette gropes around for her blanket to try and battle the cold. Feeling no blanket, but only cold stone below her, Evelyn jolts up and looks around. 

     _Clatter!_

   The sound of metal and plastic hitting the ground draws her eyes down and she sees pieces of…something slipping off of her tank top and gathering on the ground below her. Frowning deeply, she pulls herself to her feet and dusts shirt off, more pieces hitting the ground at her feet. 

    “What’s…going on?” She questions aloud as she looks around, her heart starting to race in her chest. She was in some sort of…alley. There were tall buildings surrounding her and cobblestone streets below her; though the darkness keeps her from being able to see details. Her heart starts to pound harder as she tries to remember how she got in this situation in the first place; visual clues proving useless.

    _Adam came back…_  She recalls.  _He was staying at my place. I was…I was…_ She shakes her head.  _It doesn’t make sense! Nothing was abnormal! I remember coming home and…I must have gone to bed. Everything was normal! I didn’t have anything going on, no one was coming over, and it was just me and my brother._ She tries to think about when she went to sleep, but nothing was coming to mind. 

   “I feel like I lost a big chunk of time.” She mutters to herself, starting to shake just a little. She takes a deep breath and curls her hand into a fist. 

    _This is not a time to panic. It doesn’t matter how I got here. I need to find out where I am, first, find a phone, and call my brother. He’ll know what happened._ She nods firmly at her own thoughts, taking one more deep breath to steady her nerves before releasing it. Getting an idea just as she releases her breath, she pats down the pockets of her pants and jacket in search for her cellphone; only to let out a heavy sigh when she realizes that she has no such luck. 

   “Alright, I’ve got to do this the hard way.” She mutters to herself, glancing around before spotting an opening to the alley. Steeling herself, she makes her way to the exit of the dark alley and towards the street lamp lit plaza before her. Blinking away the yellow light from her night-adjusted eyes, she squints as she looks around before her eyes widen in shock and she freezes only a few steps out of the alley. 

   “R…Robots?” She mutters as she stares at the crowd gathered in the plaza before her. There was a large group of both humans and machines gathered before a small set of stairs with a podium on the landing. The robots look vaguely familiar with their round heads and wiring, though they were hard to make out in detail from her distance and among the others. 

   “Mondatta!!” The crowd cheers and chants, making her frown. She knows that name but…they couldn’t be talking about who she thinks they’re talking about. Her eyes grow wide as she sees someone step up to the podium at the head of the crowd, confirming the woman’s suspicions. The robed robot that stepped on the podium…he was from her game. Or perhaps more accurately, the short that ran alongside her game. She shakes her head. 

   “Mon…datta?” She can barely breathe, staring at the Omnic as he starts to speak; gesturing out into the crowd. 

   “Human. Machine. We are all one within the Iris. Before me I see the future; Humans and Omnics standing together. United by compassion; by common hopes and dreams.” She frowns. Those words…they sound…familiar. It’s then that she sees a figure pushing her way out of the gathered crowd, striding off purposefully. The figure was fairly tall, short, spiky brown hair and eyes mostly hidden behind large orange goggles. Her unmistakable orange jumpsuit, bomber jacket and sleek metal contraption strapped to her chest left little doubt as to who she was. 

   “Tracer…?” She watches the brunette brit walk away before realization hits her like a freight train. Her heart starts to pound again and all thought of reality was disappeared from her mind. Adrenaline starts to pump through her body as she stares at the soon to be dead Omnic, his words muffled to her. 

    _He’s going to be killed! I have to do something!_ She screams to herself mentally, not even a passing thought of how absurd this whole situation seemed crossing her mind. The only thought in her mind was how to get to this man; how to save him. The woman looks around, trying to find where she knows Tracer and Widowmaker will be but the perspective is different from the ground and she can’t tell for sure what building they’ll fall from. Heart pounding, her mind quickly shifts to her next plan and she looks around. 

   “There.” She mutters sharply to herself as she the motorcar Mondatta will be moved to when he’s escorted away. Two guards stand in front of the car, watching vigilantly. 

    _I can’t get close without being suspected of foul play._ She thinks to herself as she looks back at the crowd, her eyes widening when she gets the spark of a plan.  _Unless…_ She barely gets through the thought when she sees the guard to Mondatta’s left react to something on his comm. Her heart starts pound in her throat as she watches the guard move to the Omnic’s side. 

   “No. No no no! Don’t take him away! He’ll die!” She screams, but the crowd drowns out her shout and no one hears her. She’s moving before she can even think or question her plan. 

   She darts to the crowd, getting as close as she can to the motorcar while still staying with the group of people. Wide, panicked, eyes follow the Omnic as he’s escorted towards the car. Shoving and pushing with the crowd, she moves towards the front of the crowd as the monk gets to the car. While she makes her way to the front easily, she’s blocked by one of the bodyguards as two more try to usher the Omnic inside.

    **BOOM!**

A huge explosion shakes the ground and all of those present spin around and stare at the smoke and flame coming from the rooftop of one of the buildings. A figure is sent sailing through the air. The brunette stares in horror at the scene that plays out before her. Her pounding heart and slowed breaths are all that she seems to hear—the screams and shouts of the crowd muffled—as everything turns to slow motion. Turning, her body reacts before she can process anything, acting entirely on instinct. 

  She could count the breaths and steps like a dance as she grabs the guard blocking her around the middle, anger and desperation fueling her already impressive strength. Throwing the guard into one of his colleagues, she takes a step towards Mondatta.

    _Inhale_

   The remaining guards turn in slow motion to face the woman as she takes another powerful step towards the Omnic.

    _B-thump_

   The brunette can hear muffled screams behind her as the Monk manages to take one startled half-step backwards. 

    _Exhale_

   Using all of the strength in her toned legs, the woman leaps at Mondatta as the guards take a step towards her.  

    ** _CRACK!_**

   The sound of a high powered rifle firing seems perfectly timed with the woman’s body connecting with the Omnic’s metal frame. Time seems to slow all the more, like a flip book now, not a movie. The two of them fall together before finally hitting the floor of the car. 

   Time comes to a stop as the monk’s light flicker; a wave of horror gripping Eve’s lungs and stealing her breath from her. As Mondatta’s lights flicker back on, time and sound come back to the woman with a vengeance. The screaming and shouting from the crowd make her jump just a little as she starts to breathe heavily. She sits up and takes in her situation quickly. She’s sitting atop the monk, her knees rest on either side of his hips. Her hands rest on either side of the Omnic, supporting her weight. Staring down at Mondatta, who seems just as stunned as she is, they just remain where they are—the monk lying, the girl kneeling—in stunned silence. It’s only a moment’s pause before the brunette recovers enough to act. 

   “You okay?” She asks, voice breathy thanks to her exertion and shock. The stunned Omnic nods slowly, which makes her smile softly. 

   “You need to get out of here.” She tells him seriously, slipping one leg off of him and sliding towards the edge of the car. One of the quicker guards to react grabs her arm and her entire body goes tense as a sharp wave of pain courses through her body, emanating from the right side of her chest, just below the shoulder. Both girl and guard pause as she’s pulled out when Mondatta sits up and speaks. 

   “No. Leave her.” He says as he reaches out and takes her other hand to keep her there, his grip incredibly gentle. Evelyn is taken aback but the guard releases without question. Mondatta’s grip remains gentle as he pulls her back inside of the car, though it was more akin to coaxing. Slipping back inside, the brunette sits on the floor beside him as the door is abruptly shut; soon followed by the car driving off. 

   "You are injured." He says as he takes her by both elbows gently and guides her onto the seat before taking the one beside her. 

   "I'm fine." She says softly, offering him a small smile though the pain is hard to bear. The wound throbs with every heart beat and the edges of the bullet hole can’t decide if it feels like it’s on fire or suffering from frost bite. It’s actually making her arm a little numb but it doesn’t seem to have hit anything vital.

   "Are you alright?" She asks, worried. He nods. 

   "Thanks to you." He says as his fingers gently pull the already blood soaked jacket away from the wound to look at the bullet hole. Doing her best not to hiss at the pain, she places her hand on his softly. 

   "I'll be alright. I'm still breathing." She says gently, drawing his gaze back to her face. He releases her jacket and takes the hand holding his instead. Her eyes flicker to his cool fingers, in utter awe at the gentleness of his grip. 

   “That was a very brave thing you did.” He says, his voice—though deep—is remarkably soft. 

   “You reacted quickly, but how?” He questions. “I saw no sniper…”  She frowns deeply and looks away. 

 _Because you're from a video game and I saw the short where she kills you? Not crazy at all._  She bites her lip but is drawn from her thoughts before she can come up with a convincing lie. Mondatta wraps her hand in both of his, touch soft as a feather. Looking up at him, she can almost feel a soft warmth coming from him. 

   "You do not need to force yourself. Some things need no explanation." He says gently. "You saved me and you still live. That is what matters." The vague tilt of his head lets her know that his gaze has shifted to her sticky, blood stained, jacket again. 

   "Though your wound worries me. I will contact-" The car suddenly screeches to a halt, throwing them both from their seats and onto the floor again. Eve yelps in both surprise and pain when she's thrown onto her injured shoulder. She can't pay attention to her pain though, as the door is suddenly thrown open on her side of the car. Barely able to process the armored man pointing his weapon into the car, the woman reacts on instinct. Kicking the barrel of the weapon up just as the man pulls the trigger, the wide eyed woman quickly follows the movement with another, slamming her other foot into the man's stomach and sending him flying backwards. Wide eyed and stunned, the woman hesitates for a moment before her brain catches up with her. _Gotta get him out of here!_  Is the only thought that consumes her mind as she whips around to face the monk as he sits up. Reaching over him, she grabs the handle of his door. About to open it, she spots a figure through the window; one aiming at the door. 

   "Shit!" She yelps as tackles the Omnic back to the floor, shielding him as the assailant starts to fire on the car. The brunette flinches as glass and shrapnel start to rain down on her from above. 

_Click click._

  Eve's eyes, formally squinted shut for protection, snap open at the familiar sound. His gun had jammed. Her body reacts before her brain can and she pulls Mondatta out of the car with her as she runs out of the open door on her side. Out of the car, she can now survey the scene before her. A truck had smashed into their car's front bumper, totaling it. The driver had managed to scramble out as the assailant opened fire and was scrambling to his feet beside them, wounded but alive. The guard in the passenger seat the driver had to climb over was not so lucky. 

   The armed man on the other side of the car seems to have freed the jam from his gun as he starts to open fire again. The driver is first to tackle the Omnic, leaving Evelyn to drop to the ground and cover her ears. Looking around, Eve's eyes grow wide as she sees the man she'd kicked early start to stand up. Scrambling to her feet--keeping low even as she stands--she runs at the still dazed man, wincing as bullets gaze her flesh. She tackles the assailant to the ground and grabs his gun hand, twisting the gun so his finger gets caught in the trigger guard and bends backward. She's standing on his shoulder with her right leg, her left knee and most of her weight on his spine, pinning him down. He's crying out and struggling under her; struggling that abruptly stops when she pulls his arm back painfully.

    The rain of bullets stops as the sound of more gunshots sound through the back road as their back up arrives. A new car pulls up just as Eve spots another truck driving up swiftly; more bad guys. 

    "Get him out of here!" She calls to the injured guard who scrambles to his feet and ushers Mondatta into the new car as it pulls up.

    She knew she couldn’t hold the man for long, though the others had, thankfully, yet to notice her slow, staggered, movements thanks to her light headedness and blood loss. Yanking the man’s gun from him, she hauls him up with her good arm and throws him into the path of the truck, which slams on its breaks.

    Holding her pilfered gun tight, she backs away as she pulls the trigger just to put shots down range. The weapon doesn’t behave the way she’s used to, almost too light in her grip, but one thing hasn’t seemed to change. The extended magazine the moron had put on his weapon causes the gun to jam after just a few shots. 

   “Shit.” She snarls, as a new group of five men jump out of and off of the truck. She racks the weapon back to clear the chamber and reload the weapon. As she goes to fire again, however, the weapon doesn’t fire. Eyes widening, her heart starts to pound, watching in horror as the new men aim at her. 

     _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

   More shots fire down range, making her jump and look at the person holding the weapon. One of the guards shoots at the men as another runs up to her, the car idling behind him. Her eyes go wide.

   “What’re you doing? Get him out of here!” She shouts, but the man says nothing as he grabs her and hauls her over a shoulder. Hissing sharply in pain, she grips the back of his shirt with her free hand—unfortunately the injured arm which has little strength left—and forces herself up a little on his shoulder.

    “Are you crazy!?” She shouts as the man runs back to the car, throwing her inside when the car door opens and slamming the door behind her. Looking up, she hears the door in the front open once more before closing several seconds later. The sounds of gunfire start to muffle as the car drives off. Soft hands grip her forearms and pull her onto the seat. 

    “It seems I owe you my life twice over now.” Mondatta says, releasing her as she sinks back into the seat. He watches her, looking over the new wounds and blood soaked jacket. 

    “May I know your name?” He asks gently, startling the brunette a little, having already known Mondatta’s name before she met him. 

    “Oh. My name is Evelyn.” She says with a gentle, tired, smile. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.” He chuckles softly at the ‘sir’ comment and takes her hand gently.

    “Thank you for your help, Evelyn. We will have someone treat your wounds when we arrive at our destination. It should take a half an hour. Can you hold on till then?” He asks softly. The pain was bad and the blood loss was worse. That being said, Evelyn offers him a smile and nods. 

    “Yes. I’ll be okay.” She says, which may or may not be a lie, she honestly can’t tell. “More importantly, are you alright?” To her surprise, the Omnic chuckles gently, a deep, wispy, sound. 

    “I am fine but your concern gives me hope.” His tone is playful and calm, but his words confuse her slightly. 

    “Hope?” She questions, tilting her head. “Hope for what?” Mondatta just stares at her quietly for a moment before letting out a rolling chuckle that actually shakes his chest a little. His reaction just confuses the poor girl more.

    “Yes, little one, hope. More hope than I thought, perhaps.” His words clear up nothing and she continues to stare at him with a lost expression. The omnic’s body language tenses a little and she can almost feel his frown.

    “You look paler. Is your wound still bleeding?” Reaching out to move her jacket aside and inspect the wound, the brunette catches his hand and smiles—a well practiced poker face. 

    “I’m fine.” She assures stubbornly. “I-“ She doesn’t get to finish her sentence as the car brakes before stopping. 

    “Ah. We must walk from here.” Mondatta says just as the door on his side of the car opens and a guard stands there. The Omnic steps out before turning and holding out a hand to her. Moving to his side of the car—barely noticing her own natural reaction to grab her pilfered gun from the floor—she reaches out to take his hand before pausing. Spotting her own crimson blood staining her palm and fingers—contrasting sharply to the clean, sleek, metal of Mondatta’s outstretched hand—she hesitates and starts to pull her hand back. It feels…wrong. She can’t stain such a beautiful, gentle, soul. Cool metal fingers clasp around her stained hand, drawing her startled gaze up to Mondatta’s face.

    “Come.” He ushers as he coaxes her out with his gentle grip on her hand. Like a moth to a flame, she’s unable to ignore his light and she slips out of the car with his help. Glancing around, she sees they have only three other guards, five people total with herself and Mondatta. The door shuts behind her before the guard steps up beside them. 

    "This way, sir." He ushers the omnic along, forming around him with the other two guards. Mondatta keeps Eve beside him as he follows the leading guard, the other two flanking the omnic and brunette. They walk into an alley, keeping close as the walls narrow. 

    "Press that button." Comes a voice behind Evelyn, startling her. She glances back at the guard behind her who offers a soft smile and gestures to the gun in her hands. Looking down at the weapon, she spots a yellow button near the handle. Pressing it, the weapon hums before lighting up a little brighter. 

   "It's charged now." He supplies and she smiles back at him.

  "Thank you." She says quietly. The man blushes just a little and returns the smile. 

  They walk through different alleys for several minutes before the lead guard suddenly stops and looks around. Getting a bad feeling from his reaction, the woman stops and tightens her grip on the gun. There's a sudden explosion of action as several men drop from the rooftops and start to attack the guards. 

   "Get him out!" The guard at the front yells to Eve, making her jump. Grabbing the monk's hand, she spots a side alley and runs for it, dragging Mondatta behind her. It seems their enemies anticipated the escape route as she rounds a corner and spots another armed man. With a startled squeak, she lets instinct take over, releasing Mondatta's hand, raising her gun, aiming and firing before the man can react. 

   It's only a moment of action but the man drops to the floor, writhing in pain and reaching for his gun. The woman rushes him, kicking the weapon away from him before planting one foot and kicking the man in the face. He's unconscious. 

   "Come on!" She calls to Mondatta as she faces him. The man hurries back to her side before they both hurry down the alley. 

  "You need to guide me!" She tells him. His directions are focused and uncomplicated, which is good, because this activity has reopened her wound and is making her dizzy. There are more assailants but she takes them out with only a few more injuries--though one of those includes a dislocated shoulder. Before long, they're walking up the steps of a large, beautiful building. 

   She really shouldn't be conscious right now. Perhaps through sheer force of will, she walks beside the Omix, barely able to see where she's going but her grip on her pilfered gun is tight with the single hand that still works. Spotting movement to her right, she moves in front of Mondatta and points her weapon at the man that approaches, gun raised. Both fire before a man lands between them and before either can react, the gun wielding man is dead. 

   Blurry gaze barely able to make out the silver and green man before her, she keeps her shaking gun raised and pointed at him. Behind her, Mondatta places a gentle hand on her shoulder.

   "He is a friend." He says gently as another, similar, voice calls out. 

   "Brother!" She whips around to point at this new target but a different set of hands grab hers this time and lowers them, grip just as gentle as Mondatta's. She looks up at the person that touched her, blinking away the blurriness momentarily to stare up at the green cyborg. 

  "Genji." She mutters, recognizing the green ninja from her game but too weak to keep herself in check. Relief flooding through her body to the point her legs almost give out. She wills herself to continue standing, though anyone else would have passed out long before. 

   "I do not know you..." Genji sounds confused but his attention is drawn back to the two Omix now standing beside one another. 

   "I am glad you are safe, Mondatta." Zenyatta says before looking over at the girl beside Genji. 

   "This brave soul got injured protecting me, brother." Mondatta says, approaching the girl. "I am not certain how she is still standing." She laughs weakly at that, drawing their attention. 

   "Me either." She mutters with as much playfulness as she can muster at that moment, which isn’t much. She lowers her eyes to the floor as her vision goes black, though stubborn will keeps her conscious and standing. 

   "Can't see." She mutters quietly, jumping a little as her gun clatters to the ground when it slips, unnoticed, from her cold, numb, fingers. She loses time for what feels like a mere second but is suddenly pressed gently against a cool body. Her fading eyesight lands on a green visor and relief fills her, knowing she's safe. She lets her consciousness fade now that her job is done. 


	3. Offer You Can't Refuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evelyn has to deal with the reality of the situation she's in.

   The sound of voices drew the brunette from unconsciousness. Still groggy, she was unable to make out the words before her sense of feeling returns and hits her like a freight train. Hissing sharply, she sits up abruptly, gripping at her shoulder, the main source of her pain. Feeling soft cotton gauze beneath her palm, she opens her eyes and glances down at herself. Shirtless, a bra on still, she’s covered in bandages. The most notable is a roll of gauze wrapped around her shoulder and chest.  
  
   “I take it we need to give you more pain medication.” Comes a deep, soft, voice and a chuckle. Startled, the woman jumps a little and snaps her gaze to the source. Evelyn’s face turns bright red as she spots three men in the corner of the small room. Instantly, she recognizes the three men as Mondatta, Zenyatta, and Genji. Grabbing the sheets, that had pooled around her hips, with her good hand, she pulls them up to cover her chest as her blush reaches her ears.  
  
   “U-Uh…” She manages to stutter before Zenyatta moves towards her, not touching the ground, and speaks again.  
  
   “How are you feeling?” He asks gently as he stops beside the small cot she’d been lying on, reaching out and taking her injured arm gently, his grip as soft and coaxing as Mondatta’s. She winces at he slowly moves the arm around, barely stretching it before it starts to hurt. Thankfully, the monk pushed no further when he saw her wince and lowers her hand back to her lap when he’s done.  
  
   “I’ve sped up the healing process but you’ll be experiencing tenderness from the new nerves.” He explains gently. Evelyn can practically hear his smile despite his lack of moveable facial expressions and it was kind of baffling.  
  
   “Thank you.” She says with a genuine smile, which Zenyatta chuckles at.  
  
   “You are correct, brother.” He glances back and shares a meaningful look with Mondatta as the brunette just looks confused. Before she can ask, the quiet Cyborg walks up to her. Looking up at the tall ninja, she feels her cheeks heating up again at the attractive cyborg. She’d had the largest crush on the ninja she’d formally thought only existed in her video game.  
  
_Perhaps he still does. I…they look so real, though…it feels so real…have I gone crazy? Am I dreaming? Hallucinating? I-_  
  
   “Ano...? Sumimasen...?" Comes a smooth voice in Japanese, startling the woman out of her thoughts and making her jump a little. Flushing in embarrassment, she looks up at the man with a sheepish grin.  
  
   “I’m sorry. Did…you say something?” She laughs nervously. The cyborg tilts his head as he watches her, silent for a few moments before he speaks again, slightly hesitant.  
  
   “Forgive me. I hope I do not frighten you.” He takes half a step back. Evelyn’s eyes grow wide and she sits up a little straighter, her hands coming up in a defensive gesture.  
  
   “No no! Not at all! Please! I just…I’m…lost. I didn’t mean to offend you. Please, continue.” She smiles sheepishly. The ninja’s posture straightens a little, clearly intrigued by something she’d said.  
  
   “We could not find any contact information for you. I wished to know who get in touch with, so we can get you home.” She frowns deeply as her reality hits her. Home… Tears prickle in her eyes as she realizes she has no home here. Going on the assumption that this is all as real as it feels, she can’t go home, can’t see her family.  
  
   Evelyn is well and truly alone.  
  
  “Evelyn-san?” The concern in the cyborg’s voice draws her attention back to him as she gives him a weak smile, trying her best not to cry.  
  
   “I’m sorry. I…don’t have a home.” Though her voice is a little shaky and quiet, she keeps her tone under control for the most part. The ninja looks back at his master as Zenyatta approaches the cot.  
  
  “Do you have any family we can contact?” The Omnic asks, to which Evelyn shakes her head, unable to help a tear slipping from the corner of her eyes. Quickly rubbing her eyes, she inhales deeply and offers them a smile.  
  
   “I appreciate you trying anyway. I apologize if I’ve caused you trouble, I won’t trouble you further.” She says, moving to get up. The monk and ninja reach out to stop her when a voice from the back of the room speaks up.  
  
   “Work for me.” The other three present all pause and look over at Mondatta. Genji and Zenyatta step aside as the political leader walks calmly up to the cot. Draped delicately over his arm is a simple, but beautiful robe. A quick glance around tells her that he’d gotten it out of one of the cupboards in the room. Though it furthers her assumption that she is not in a hospital or anything, she doesn’t dwell on the thought long as a more pressing question is nagging at her.  
  
   “I-I’m sorry?” She’s momentarily distracted as the man unfolds the robe—one she now notices is similar to the one he is wearing—and slowly slips her arms into the sleeves, gently guiding the soft cotton fabric up to cover her partially exposed chest and back. It’s fairly heavy and particularly warm. She didn’t realize how cold she was till now and pulls the ends of the jacket closed.  
  
   “Thank you, sir.” She says quietly as he gently pulls her long hair from under the collar before taking half a step back.  
  
   “I am offering you to work for me.” He says gently as he looks down at her as she stares up at him in utter surprise. “You would stay with me. I would give you a place to call home.” The woman can only stare at him, mouth slightly agape. Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see the other two man, though silent, are nodding in agreement.  
  
   “I…Are you certain, sir?” Mondatta nods without hesitation.  
  
   “Yes. You have already demonstrated that you are a capable guard and there is a lot you can help me with, if you’re up for it.” His tone turns just a little bit teasing at the last comment. Unable to help the small smile, she looks away and starts to fidget with the hem of her robe.  
  
   “That is very generous of you, sir. Thank you. I-I would love to work for you.” The brunette says with a nod. The Omnic nods and places a hand on her uninjured shoulder.  
  
   “Rest for now. We will be arriving in Napal soon.” The woman frowns and looks up at him, confused.  
  
   “We will?” The man doesn’t answer, just gestures to the small window near the cot. Stretching a little, since it was so high up the wall, the woman looks out the window and lets out a sharp gasp. Perhaps unwisely, she jerks to her knees in an abrupt movement and looks out of the glass to see land…miles below them.  
  
   They were in an airship!  
  
   There’s a soft chuckle behind her before a gentle pair of hands gently coaxes her back down onto the cot. She glances back at Zenyatta and lets him guide her back down to a sitting position on the mattress.  
  
   “Quick movements will strain your injuries.” He says, though his tone doesn’t sound scolding. He sounds amused. Taking her hand gently, he places something in her palm gently. “Take these and get some more sleep. Your body needs it.” He tells her as she looks down at the pain killers in her hand. Another hand appears in her field of view and she looks over at the outstretched appendage. Glancing up at Genji as he offers her water to drink, she blushes a little and offers him a soft smile, taking the plastic cup graciously and popping the pills into her mouth, chasing them down with the water. Taking the cup from her when she’s finished, the ninja sets it on a counter nearby before heading for the door and slipping out. Zenyatta follows close behind with some well wishes, leaving just her and Mondatta behind.  
  
   “We will have a room ready for you when you wake.” He assures and she smiles gratefully at him.  
  
   “Thank you so much, sir. I…don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for you.” She says genuinely. He nods gently as he places a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
   “Rest. We will wake you when we land.” He says as he guides her back down to lie on the bed. She thanks him before he nods and turns, walking out and letting the automatic door close behind him.  
  
   The pain and exhaustion that still remained coaxed the woman back to sleep.  
  
\----  
  
   “May I speak to you, brother?” Zenyatta had been waiting outside of the door for Mondatta to walk out. The figure head looks to the combat monk and nods in answer to his question.  
  
   “Of course,” He gestures his brother to lead the way. The monk floats down the hall before turning into an empty room. He turns as Mondatta walks in behind him.  
  
   “What is your plan, brother?” Zenyatta asks, watching the other Omnic. The man chuckles.  
  
   “You caught onto that?” He asks; amused.  
  
   “I know you well, brother.” Mondatta looks back towards the closed room he’d just come from.  
  
   “She’ll be safer here.” He says simply. The warrior monk nods and chuckles gently.  
  
   “I see. Well, I will have Genji work with her. We will remain with you.” Zenyatta assures.  
  
   “Thank you, brother. I have a feeling the events we have provoked have stirred up the winds of a great storm.” Mondatta sounds somber for once. The other monk nods solemnly as they grow silent.  
  
\---  
  
    As promised, Evelyn was awoken by one of the men, Genji this time, when they got close to their destination.  
  
   "We will be landing in a few moments." Genji tells her calmly as she sits up in the bed. Her head swims as a wave of dizziness washes over her, the blood loss still taking its toll, and she presses the heel of her palm against her forehead.  
  
   "Are you alright?" Genji asks, hands hovering close to her to catch her should she faint on them again. She nods and puts her hand up dismissively.  
  
   "I'm fine." She mutters as she moves to stand, forcing the ninja to take a small step back to give her room. The ground is cold beneath her feet, which she only now noticed were bare, but her footing was stable.  
  
   For the moment.  
  
   The plane jerks when it sets down and sends the already unbalanced female forward. She connects with the cyborg's slightly cool body, her head hitting his chest plate just hard enough to make her even more dizzy. She clings to the ninja's biceps as his hands rest on her hips, gentle but ready to take her full weight.  
  
   "Perhaps I should help you off the plane." The man's deep, echo-y, voice says, a slight chuckle hidden in his tone. Laughing sheepishly and giving him a small smile, she can't help but agree.  
  
   "Thank you." She says quietly, blushing a little as she realizes how close she is to the six-foot ninja with the sexy accent. The ninja moves to her side and gently takes her right hand with his as his left hand wraps around her waist. It makes it easier for their height difference that, while only about half a foot between the two of them, would be enough to be uncomfortable for the both of them if he had taken her arm around his shoulders.  
   
   Their grips are fairly loose; his tightening on her hip when she stumbles or hers gripping his hand as a wave of dizziness washes over her. Otherwise, Eve doesn't want to feel like a wimp and Genji is kind enough to let her walk on her own as much as she can. The room she was sleeping in was located in the back of the airship, so it's no surprise that by the time they get to the lowered door, the two Omnic monks are already waiting for them.  
  
   The first steps off of the plane are fine but as soon as Eve's feet touch the ground, she's hit by the cold air that pricks at her feet and blows through her thinly covered torso. She shivers and sucks in a sharp breath as she pauses. The three men look at her, slightly confused for a moment, before their understanding seems to hit at the same time.  
     
   "Oh." They chorus before Genji swiftly picks her up in his arms, saving her poor bare feet from the nearly iced over ground. Held to the Cyborg's body, she finds that he's surprisingly warm, not as cool as she'd thought earlier when you get past the armor. The warmth and size of his body protects her from the cold so she bites her tongue to keep her protests at being picked up silent.  
  
   "Gomen. I forget how cold it is here." His tone is genuine as he speaks, his voice rumbling through his chest and into her arm pressed against his body.  
  
   "Perhaps you should go ahead of us. Take her to her room and let her bathe and dress." The brunette barely has time to register the comment before the man takes off, moving nimbly around the courtyard and through the buildings. The cyborg's movements are so smooth and graceful that Eve hardly feels like she's being carried; floating weightlessly instead.  
  
   It takes him hardly any time to get to the room towards the back of the complex that appears to be a monastery of some sort. Despite his speed, he hardly seems to be trying at all, even given her, not inconsiderable, extra weight.  
  
   The ninja sets her down gently on the warm wood floor, a hand hovering near her lower back as she attempts to get stable on her feet. The building is far warmer than the cold mountain top outside and filled with the muffled sound of chanting far off in the distance; it's almost like the sound of the wind blowing through the building. It was comforting.  
  
   "Thank you." She says graciously, smiling shyly up at the cyborg. He nods politely I her direction.  
  
   "The bath is there," He gestures to a door beyond the comfortable looking small bed in the middle of the bedroom. "There is towels. We will leave fresh clothes on the bed for when you are done." She smiles gratefully.  
  
   "Thank you." She says graciously.  
  
   "Dōitashimashite," he purrs. The sound of his deep, smooth, voice rolling over his native language sends a small shiver down her spine and heats up her cheeks.  
  
   "Come out when you've finished. We will prepare food for you." Her stomach growls loudly at the thought of food and her cheeks burn brighter in embarrassment. A deep chuckle rumbles through his chest, forcing the woman to look away shyly.  
  
   "We will have food when you finish." He assures again; his voice has a hint of amusement to it though he tries to hide it out of politeness. She smiles at his tone regardless.  
  
   "Thank you." Genji nods and turns, footsteps nearly silent on the wood floor. She smiles softly at his retreating back as she turns and closes her door.  
  
\------  
   
   The warmth of the bath soothed her aching and tired muscles and nearly coaxed her to sleep. Forcing herself out of the bath about fifteen minutes after, figuring she's clean enough, she grabs the fluffy white towel she'd placed by the freestanding claw foot tub. Wrapping it around herself, she steps out carefully, mindful of the slippery floor and her shaking legs. Spotting a full length mirror, the woman walks up to it slowly. The sight she was greeted with wasn't terribly pretty but it was slightly better than she thought and cleaner than before.  
  
   Her dark brown hair, almost black now thanks to the water, was clean of blood, dirt and sweat; hanging loose around her face. The bruises and scrapes that peppers her body are fading and healing thanks to Zenyatta's earlier work. The worst of the wounds, which still throbbed, was the rifle bullet she'd gotten when she first arrived. The skin was scarring already, pale and pink and puckering. It wasn't pretty but it was healing.  
  
   Straightening her hair a little, she decides to leave well enough alone and tightens her towel around her before opening the door to the bedroom. Slipping out, she pauses in the doorway, one hand on the door; the other gripping the towel wrapped around her.  
  
   Her cheeks turn bright red as the man standing in front of her bed straightens and looks over at her, green lights glowing dimly in the waning evening sunlight.  
  
   "U-um!" The woman squeaks, gripping the towel tighter and half hiding behind the door. Genji chuckles but turns away politely.  
  
   "Gomen. Thought you would take more time." He says, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I brought clothes." He gestures to the bed without looking back. A small pile of clothes sits on the sheets, neatly folded.  
  
   "Oh. Thank you." She tucks some wet hair behind her hair shyly. "I'm... Sorry you had to see that." She adds quietly, not thinking that he'd actually hear her but his head turns abruptly at her words.  
  
   "Why do you apologize?" He sounds confused with a hint of...something else. She didn't usually get asked that question, for as many times as she says things like this, so she's a little lost for words.  
  
   "U-uh..." She pauses to collect her thoughts, eyes dropping to the floor. "W-well no one wants to see this." She says with a laugh, suddenly nervous as her self loathing and self consciousness begins to crop up again. She's dealt with this fear over her body and her self often and it's only gotten worse since she's grown older; the doubts have only gotten stronger the longer she goes with few friends and no interest from the men she's met.  
  
   The woman jumps when a warm hand falls on her shoulder gently, touch light. She hadn't heard the ninja's approach but finds herself staring up into the brightly lit green visor, enchanted by its glow.  
  
   "That is not something to joke about." He says firmly and the thought of the man's past suddenly comes to the woman's mind. There Genji stood, a cyborg who had fought with himself and his body for a long time, and he actually had a reason. Her insensitivity hit her hard and she looks away.  
  
   "I'm sorry. I...forget I said anything." She looks up at him and smiles, though the expression isn't very convincing. The ninja is polite enough to drop the comment upon her request, or perhaps he is distracted as his fingers drift to her injured shoulder.  
  
   "Does it hurt?" He asks, cool metal fingers ghosting over the scar tissue. Thankful that he'd dropped the subject, though she's now hyper aware of his proximity, she blushes a little and shakes her head.  
  
   "It's fine." She assures, only a half lie. He doesn't seem convinced but doesn't push further, as he doesn't feel it's his place yet. He drops his hand and nods gently.  
  
   "I will wait outside for you when you finish. I will show you to the dining room." He tells her, voice gentle. She nods and thanks him once again. He doesn't turn right away, taking a strand of damp hair in his gentle fingers and tucking it behind one ear.  
  
   "I am happy that you feel better." His words and touch send her heart into overdrive and her entire face heats up. A soft chuckle from him tells her that he noticed her blush but he's kind enough not to comment as he turns and walks out, footsteps still silent on the wood floor. Unable to help herself, Eve's eyes drift down the lean ninja's back and linger on a certain perfectly sculpted behind. Nibbling on her lower lip, she feels her face heat up even more before she's snapped out of her traces by the door closing and cutting off her view. With a heavy sigh, the woman shakes her head and walks over to the clothes laid out on her bed.  
  
   "Stupid, he's way out of your league. He's just being nice." She mutters to herself to try and ground herself in some reality as she slips into the warm, heavy, comfortable cotton robe jacket and pants. They're just the slightest bit too small around the shoulders and butt, however, they're comfortable and fit otherwise, so she can't, and won't, complain.  
  
   "I suppose...so long as I don't get my hopes up, it can't hurt to look." She mutters with a shy smile as she picks up her clothes and busies herself with cleaning up the bathroom and folding her towel. "He looks even better in person..."  
  
\---  
  
   The ninja straightens from leaning against the wall as Evelyn stepped out. Behind his visor, he looks her over in the robes they provided. They fit well and complimented her body, he notes. Closing the door behind her gently, the woman looks up at him and smiles gently.  
  
   “Hi. Thank you for waiting.” She says kindly, to which the ninja nods and gestures her to follow as he starts to walk down the hallway, mindful of his speed for her still recovering body.  
  
  “The food here is simple, but warm and nourishing.” He tells her, to which she just nods graciously. Glancing down, the ninja notes her lack of footwear and hums, causing her to look up at him.  
  
   “I will retrieve your shoes while you eat. It is cold here.” He comments, making the girl look down at her feet and smiles softly.  
  
   “Thank you.” She says, before a silences falls between them. Despite the quiet, it’s not entirely uncomfortable, but rather…calm. A few minutes of walking, the ninja speaks up.  
  
   “What you did was very brave.” He comments, watching her out of the corner of his eye as much as his visor would allow. Laughing softly, the woman shakes her head gently.  
  
   “Not particularly. Anyone else would have helped if they could.” She shrugs it off before adding; “But thank you.”  
  
   “Your skills are rather impressive. Are you a civilian?” He questions in a teasing tone, causing her to giggle, a light fist hovering over her mouth as she does.  
  
   “Actually, yes, I am a civilian. But I have an…unusual background.” Genji’s eyebrows rise behind his visor. His silence is a clear signal for her to continue so she does. “Being the only girl with my parents meant that I learned to protect myself early. My mother and father made sure I was strong and that I knew how to handle myself.” She explains, eyes on the floor, a soft but sad smile on her face.  
  
   “My father did the same.” Genji says, making the woman giggle and look up at him.  
  
   “Yeah, you and Hanzo were both trained well.” The woman says before she can think. When the ninja stops midstride, she winces, realizing her mistake. Slowly, she turns to face him with a grimace on her face.  
  
   “How…do you know…” The ninja stares at her through her visor for a long moment. The brunette finds her back hitting the wall of the empty hallway before she can react, both hands pinned above her head in one of the man's large hands, his grip tight. The sharp, cold, metal of a sword presses against the soft skin of her throat and she’s forced to tilt her head back. Staring up at the ninja with wide, doe, eyes, she finds nothing but cold aggression from him. It suddenly occurred to her that Genji wasn’t just a sweet and sexy man from her video game.  
  
   He was also a trained killer.  
  
   “You work for Talon.” Evelyn’s eyes grow all the wider at the accusation and her body grows tense. Her sudden tension and lack of a response seems to confirm the man’s assumption and his body goes tense.  
  
   “Kuso.” He hisses, his weapon digging into her throat, seconds from taking off her head.  
  
   “No! Wait!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! I wanted to make sure it was long enough to be satisfying. And yes, I'm ending it here~


	4. Warmth

**_Clang!_ **

Evelyn jumps at the sound of metal colliding with metal and her eyes grow wide as the ninja's head is forced to the side in time with the sound. A small orb, the brunette woman recognizes as Zenyatta's, hovers over the ninja's head, a yellow stream of light connecting the orb to Genji. Both man and woman slowly look in the direction the orb had come from to see the aforementioned Omnic floating toward them, arms folded over his chest.

"May I ask why you are threatening our guest, my student?" Zenyatta asks calmly as the ninja slowly retracts his weapon but doesn't ease his grip on her.

"She knows far too much. I am...suspicious." He says, though he sounds guilty and there is little malice in his voice.

"I did not think you still jumped to such conclusions." There's a slightly teasing sound in the Omnic's voice but that doesn't seem to lessen the blow as Genji's grip on the brunette twitches.

"Forgive me, sensei, I-"

"Didn't do anything wrong." Evelyn interrupts, drawing both men's attention. The brunette looks to Zenyatta. "It was suspicious, sir, I don't blame him for threatening me." Though neither men had visible facial expressions, she could practically feel their question of her sanity. She laughs sheepishly and tries to explain herself.

“I said some things that were suspicious, I know how to fight…I’m not exactly normal.” She says. “Genji should be suspicious.” The two men look at each other for a long time as the ninja releases the girl and straightens. A little nervous at the prolonged silence, Evelyn actually jumps when they start to chuckle. Zenyatta approaches as the cyborg sheathes his weapon and takes a step away from the girl.

“You do not help your cause, little one.” He says, making the girl flush in embarrassment. Opening her mouth to speak, the Omnic holds up a hand to stop her. “You are a very honest person.” He commends, laying a gentle hand on her head. “I do not think we need further convincing.” Looking to Genji, the two don’t seem to need facial expressions or words to communicate their meaning as the ninja looks to the brunette.

“Let us get you food.” Genji says, walking a little ways ahead. The woman nods and thanks Zenyatta before striding after the Japanese man.

The two walk in silence for a while till Zenyatta’s out of sight. As they turn the corner, the ninja stops and places a hand on Eve’s shoulder. Pausing, the woman looks up at the taller ninja with curious eyes.

“Gomen. I do not mean to hurt you.” Genji says, his tone sweet and genuinely apologetic. The brunette giggles and shakes her head.

“I really do understand.” She assure, smiling up at him. Her smile fades a little and her eyes widen when he runs his fingers along the soft skin of her throat just under the nick he’d caused, wiping the blood from her skin. Her cheeks turn a soft red and she gulps quietly. The man pulls back his hand instantly.

“Forgive me. I do not mean to frighten you.” He looks away and straightens as he lowers his hand back to his side. Catching his hand in her smaller one, she draws his attention back to her.

“You didn’t frighten me. I’m okay.” She grins up at him. “You worry too much!”

\----

The rest of the walk was quiet. As promised, Genji leaves when she's sat at the table, an Omnic walking in and placing a plate of food in front of her. It takes him little time to return with her shoes.

"Do you remember how to return?" The man asks. Mouth full, the woman can only nod and assure him that she knew the way back.

"Then I will leave you be." He bows his head politely, which the woman returns before swallowing her food.

"Thank you, Genji. Have a wonderful night." Her food was finished quickly and she got up, heading into the kitchen when she was done. Empty of any of the others--Omnic or human--Evelyn cleans her dishes, dries them and, after a few tries, finds where they go and puts them away. Smiling, warm, full, and safe, she heads back to her room.

 _I'm so happy Mondatta let me stay with him._ Her smile fades slowly. Now that she's not fighting for her life, hungry or cold, the thoughts she'd been unconsciously holding back start to surface. _Mondatta...Genji....Zenyatta....they're...they can't be real. And yet...what...if they are..._ Turning a corner, the woman shakes her head, frowning deeply.

 _What...happened?? How...did I get here? And how do I get back? Mom. Dad. Adam. I-I need to get back to them! I want to go home!_ Cold air blows past the woman's face and stings her cheeks as it chills the tears she hadn't realized we're making their way down her cheeks. A little startled, she looks up and rubs her eyes quickly before looking around. Standing outside, the brunette suddenly realizes that she has no idea where she is. Face falling from surprised to depressed, she looks around. Spotting a small rock wall, the woman walks up and hops onto the stones nimbly. Dusting off some snow with her shoes, she sits down and pulls her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. Burying her face in her pants, her thoughts and fears hit her hard and she starts to cry.

 _Why can't I remember how I got here?! Was I in an accident? Am I in a coma? Is this a hallucination?! But...do people in comas think they're in comas? Do they get hurt in hallucinations??? This feels so real...._ The panic begins to fade a little, just sadness and desperation remaining as she tries to reason with herself. _I have to find out how to go home. If this isn't real or if it is, I can't just do nothing. I have to try and assume this is real... She tries to reason with herself but the sadness and fears linger. I want to go home. I want my family._

Memories of her time with her parents, of her childhood, her life, and her brother, begin to play in her mind, making the tears worse. The cotton of her pants begins to soak with warm tears that quickly turn cold and burn her skin, but she can't be bothered.

Who knows how long she sat and cried, her body growing dehydrated till she could cry no more. Exhausted by the crying and the strain of the stress, the woman ends up falling asleep in the cold.

\---

A silent figure searches the grounds for the woman who had never made it back to her room. Nearly midnight, the mountain now much colder as snow falls lightly, sprinkling the grounds with a light dust of snow; the ninja was starting to worry. Green visor glowing, he looks around before finally spotting the woman sitting on one of the rock walls. Walking towards her, the cyborg notices a thin layer of snow on the brunette and quickens his pace. Hoping onto the wall beside her silently, he crouches and places an arm around her back, his other hand tilting the girl back into his hold so he can see her. Eyeing her behind his mask, he sighs gently. Though pale faced, the woman breathes still, her lips a dull pink but thankfully not blue. Neither are her fingers. She just appears to be asleep, though she does shiver due to the cold.

Moving his free hand under her knees, the ninja picks her up, cradling her close to his warm body as he stands. Moving quickly, the ninja makes it back inside and into the warmth. Though unconscious still, the woman relaxes considerable in his hold when she gets into the warmth and leans against him.

Glancing down as he makes his way towards her room, the ninja frowns behind his mask. Her eyes, even closed, were slightly red around the edges, her cheeks pink as well. The observant man knows she's been crying and he feels a dull pain of sympathy in his chest.

“Ah. You have found her, Genji.” Comes a calm voice beside the ninja who pauses and over at the Omnic that approaches him. Bowing his head in respect, the cyborg faces Mondatta, the unconscious woman still in his arms.

“She was asleep outside.” He says as the Omnic approaches and looks over the brunette.

“In the snow?” He asks, to which the ninja nods. “The stress must have taken its toll.” He brushes some hair from her face, looking her over. She seems alright, which relieves the Omnic. He steps to the man’s side and gesture for him to continue walking, keeping pace with the taller human.

"I have a request of you, Genji. I believe your master has talked to you about helping to train Evelyn.” The ninja nods, looking down at her.

"Yes." He affirms, glancing over at the Omnic.

"Do you mind starting training tomorrow?" Mondatta asks as they walk at a calm pace. "I worry that Ms. Evelyn will be in danger. I would ask you to keep you eye on her and help her learn to better protect herself." The ninja nods gently as they slow to a stop in front of the girl's room.

"Good. I have a feeling this will be good for both of you." The Omnic says. Looking over at Mondatta, Genji tilts his head slightly.

"Both of us, Mondatta-San?" The monk just chuckles and pats the man's shoulder before walking off.

"Have a good evening, Genji." The Omnic calls over his shoulder, leaving the ninja standing in front of the door. When Mondatta turns the corner and is out of sight, the ninja looks back down at the brunette in his arms. Shifting his grip to hold the sleeping girl up in one arm, the ninja opens the door carefully and steps inside. Closing the door quietly behind him, the cyborg carries the girl to the bed, able to see in the dark even without the dimly glowing green light from his body or the night vision on his visor. Setting Evelyn in the bed, he pulls the blankets onto her.

Genji's hands linger near the woman as he watches her, studying her face without much thought. While he takes in the slight red in her hair at the catch of his lights, her face starts to contort slightly before tears start to silently stream down her face. Feeling sympathy for the woman, the man reaches out and wipes the tears from her cheeks gently but they just keep flowing.

Sitting gently on the bed beside the woman's hip, he watches as she starts to whimper softly in her sleep, clearly having a nightmare. His experience with women has been nearly nonexistent since the days of his youth and he had little experience dealing with crying women even then. However, there was one way he knew that often worked to calm those few instances he had come across.

Reaching back gently, the ninja presses the release on his helm. A soft hissing fills the room as his visor grows dim. Grasping the metal of the plate that hides his face, he slowly removes it, closing his eyes and inhaling the cool air for a moment. Slowly, he opens his eyes, his gaze falling back onto the woman's face as she continues to whimper and cry quietly in her sleep. Sympathy fills the man's honey ember eyes as he watches her, hesitant at first. Seeing the woman flinch away from some unknown attacker of her nightmare, the man slowly leans down.

Closing the gap between them, the ninja's lips press lightly against her, still slightly cool, ones. The woman beneath him fidgets momentarily before relaxing visibly, her whimpers subsiding and her tears stopping altogether. Pulling back slowly, the cyborg finds his heart is pounding in his chest. Frowning slightly, he wonders if his years without physical contact with a woman--another human even--has made him sensitive to touch or if his new body is to blame. Regardless, it seems the man is far from rusty as, even in her sleep, the woman blushes lightly. A small, satisfied, smirk tugs at the man's scarred lips, both because of his retained talent and her, now peaceful, face.

Placing his mask back on, the ninja returns to his feet silently. His gaze lingers a moment on her face to make sure that she is peaceful before he slips out silently.

\----

_It's cold. Someone's screaming her name, desperation and anguish clear in their voice. It's familiar, this voice, and her heart throbs at the sound. It's dark and she can't see. She's scared. She can hear voices but their muffled, like they're on the surface while she's beneath the waves. She hears a gunshot and a sound of pain. She knows the voice now; Adam. Her brother's in trouble. Sight slowly fades in, but she can't seem to focus it. Why can't she focus? She can see the blurry image of her brother. He looks like he's tied down to a chair. There's a man beside him, but she can't make out any details. Does she know this guy? He's holding a gun to Adam's head. No! She has to get to him! She tries to run but her limbs aren't responding properly. She's slow, sluggish, like she's trying to walk on legs that have fallen asleep. Grabbing at the wall and carpet, the doorframe, anything, she pulls herself faster but it's not enough. She won't make it. She knows it, her brother knows it, the, now cackling, blurry-shadow-man knows it. Don't! She wants to shout. Stop! But she can't speak. Tear are streaming down her cheeks now as she tries to get to her brother. Suddenly, a flash of blue then an explosion. The woman flinches away but the flames engulf her._

_Color. There's just a kaleidoscope of color all around her. No floor, no ceiling, no walls or doors, just distorted, beautiful color. Is she dead? Is her brother? Tears fall anew before a black figure appears above her. She tries to scream, tries to move, but she can't. She can only stare as the thing starts to take the form of a shadow and move closer till his black, featureless, face hovers before hers. She can't see him, can't know, but somehow, she's certain this is the figure that was trying to kill her brother. Rage fills her even as the tears flow faster and her anger seems to burn off her paralysis. Suddenly, before the woman can start to fight, there's a bright light and the color and the shadow disappear. She's surrounded by white as a comforting and blissful warmth fills her and melts away her anger, her fear, her sadness._

_Slowly, she finds herself standing. Her bare feet touch the ground before the white devolves to moss green grass and flowers. In a white summer dress in the middle of a field, she looks around. Spotting a new figure of bright white beside a creek, the woman wills her body to run after him, for she knows it is a he, but it is sluggish once again. The figure watches, she knows though it, like the shadow, has no clear features, before turning and walking away. She tries to call and reach for it but it just keeps the same distance as when they started._

_"Wait! Who are you? Please! I must know you!" She calls but it sounds quiet. The figure stops and turns before offering it's hand. Grabbing at the trees that now surround them, the woman forces herself to go faster before finally getting close enough. Desperately, she reaches out and grasps the hand. Fingers curl gently around hers and she's suddenly filled with a warmth that fills her and soothes her down to her very being._

Opening her eyes, Eveyln stares up at the ceiling above her bed, the room filled with a gentle, early morning, light.

"What a strange dream," she mutters. Slowly, the woman sits up and looks around. Frowning, tries to remember how she got back into her room. Last she remembers, she was sitting on a wall outside, crying. She frowns deeply and rubs her eyes, feeling moist tears on her eyes. Thinking hard, she can’t really remember her dream, already forgetting why she was crying. She feels warm now, perhaps a little more than normal, and far less stressed, so she can’t complain about not remembering her dream.

Stretching, the woman hums, her shoulder, while still sore, feels much better. Slipping out of bed, she heads to the bathroom to get ready to take on the day, heart and mind lighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while. Sorry about that. I'll try to update more regularly. I'd been sitting on this half done for a while. Thank you all so much for your support! I read every comment and I appreciate it! You're so sweet! Thank you again!


	5. Update!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick update letting my readers know what's happening!

Just wanted you all to know that I have no given up on these stories! I am currently having trouble with my left wrist which I think might be carpal tunnel. I'm so sorry, but that means that I can't write very well and will have to be absent till it heals! It also means I can't play video games and that makes me sad! I'm so sorry, especially to those who were reading my "Saving you, Saving me" since I was in the middle of working on the next chapter. I hope you aren't too upset. I might try and find old stories that just require minor editing to add to my 'Snippets/Drabble" series. Thank you guys for understanding and for your patience. 

See you on the other side!

-Shezu

**Author's Note:**

> *The Philadelphia experiment is an alleged experiment by the US Navy most notorious for the supposed after effects where people were supposedly fused with the walls of the ship after it disappeared and was sent back in time 10 minutes. The experiment is alleged to have been focused on Einstein's unified field theory and was supposedly designed to bend light around the ship to hide it but was sent through time instead. None of this has been proven. If you want to know more, here's the wiki link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Experiment


End file.
